Toilet tank vapor dispenser

ABSTRACT

A device for dispensing a vapor by the operation of a toilet flushing tank for the purpose of adding an air freshening vapor or similar vapor to the air surrounding the tank includes a container for a vaporizable liquid which is mounted on the tank in a position so that at least a movable wall portion thereof is located below the high water level of the tank. The container includes a vapor discharge nozzle and the change in the water level causes the movement of the movable wall portion to cause a change in the volume of the container to cause expelling of the vapor when the water level changes in one direction and the intake of air for mixing with the vaporizable liquid in the container upon movement of the water in an opposite direction. The movable wall in one embodiment comprises a bladder or balloon which extends downwardly from a rigid portion of the container and which contains a small quantity of a liquid which is vaporizable at the temperature of operation. When the water rises to a high level it floats the bladder upwardly to decrease the volume in the container and to cause expelling of the vapor. When the water lowers the weight of the liquid or possibly additional weight material, causes the downward movement of the bladder with the receding of the level of the water, and therefore causes the inflow of air through the vapor discharge nozzle into the container. The movable wall portion may also comprise a membrane which extends laterally in respect to the container and which will be forced inwardly by the rising water or even one that extends above the top of the container and moves downwardly to decrease the volume during the dropping level of the water level to cause the expelling of the vapor through the vapor discharge nozzle during this time.

United States Van Banter TUIILET TANK VAPOR DllSlPlENSE Albert G. Van ll-llauter, 317 Williams Ave, Hasbrouck Heights, NJ. 07604 221 Filed: May 25,1973

21 A 1.N0.;363,sn9

[76] Inventor:

[52] US. Cl. 222/95, 222/389 [51] Int. Cl A61119/00 [58] Field of Search... 222/64, 95, 389, 394, 3,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,558,469 6/1951 Travis 239/274 X 2,587,388 2/1952 Ryder 3,093,835 6/1963 Kaplan.... 222/394 X 3,327,325 6/1967 Roger 239/274 X 3,521,306 7/1970 Jacobs 4/228 Primary Examiner-Stanley H. Tollberg Assistant Examiner-John P. Shannon Attorney, Agent, or Firm-McGlew and Tuttle [5 7] ABSTRACT at least a movable wall portion thereof is located below the high water level of the tank. The container includes a vapor discharge nozzle and the change in the water level causes the movement of the movable wall portion to cause a change in the volume of the container to cause expelling of the vapor when the water level changes in one direction and the intake of air for mixing with the vaporizable liquid in the container upon movement of the water in an opposite direction. The movable wall in one embodiment comprises a bladder or balloon which extends downwardly from a rigid portion of the container and which contains a small quantity of a liquid which is vaporizable at the temperature of operation. When the water rises to a high level it floats the bladder upwardly to decrease the volume in the container and to cause expelling of the vapor. When the water lowers the weight of the liquid or possibly additional weight material, causes the downward movement of the bladder with the receding of the level of the water, and therefore causes the inflow of air through the vapor discharge nozzle into the container. The movable wall portion may also comprise a membrane which extends laterally in respect to the container and which will be forced inwardly by the rising water or even one that extends above the top of the container and moves downwardly to decrease the volume during the dropping level of the water level to cause the expelling of the vapor through the vapor discharge nozzle during this time.

113 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures IPPNENIEDIAR v 2 IBM SHEU 1 BF 2 Pmmcuumzwm 35196350 SHEET 2 [If 2 t rontnr TANK vanon nrsrnnsnn BACKGROUND OF THE lNVENTION 1. Field of the invention This invention relates, in general, to the construction of vapor dispensing devices and, in particular, to a new and useful water level operated device for dispensing vapors or gases from a container which has a movable wall portion which moves in accordance with the change of water level in which the movable wall portion is at least partially submersed.

2. Description of the Prior Art At the present time, devices are known which are operated by the manual flushing of a toilet tank to dispense a spray of a liquid to freshen or deoderize the air in the vicinity of the tank during each operation. The known devices are connected by linkages to the operating device for flushing the toilet. A disadvantage of the known devices is that they require connecting mechanism for their operation between the container for the spray and the operating mechanism for flushing the toilet tank. This means that they require an additional expense for their installation and, in addition, they must be constantly maintained and they are subject to frequent breakdowns due to the misalignment or wearing of the operating mechanisms. A further disadvantage is that they usually require special spray containers of the liquid or vapor to be dispensed which must be specially purchased for the continuous operation of the device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention there is provided a device which operates with the change in level of water in a toilet flushing tank and which does not require a complicated connection between the operating mechanism and the mechanism for operating the flushing tank. The invention requires only a simple container which is mounted within the tank so that a displaceable or movable wall portion of the container will be located below the high water level of the tank for operation. With the invention, the container need be filled with only a small quantity of a vaporizable liquid and the change in water level causes the movement of the movable wall portion to cause an expansion of the inner volume of the container during the movement of the water in one direction and the consequent inflow of air from the surrounding atmosphere through a discharge nozzle, and the contraction of the volume within the container upon movement of the movable wall member when the water level changes in an opposite direction to cause a dispensing of the vapor from the container.

In one form of the invention, the container is mounted on a simple bracket which is secured over the neck of the container by the closing cap of the container. The bracket advantageously provides means for guiding a discharge nozzle for the vapor through the cap and to the exterior of the tank. The lower portion of the container is closed by an expandable and contractable bladder or diaphragm which, in one embodiment, is moved upwardly by the rising level of the water in the tank to reduce the volume within the container and to expel] a vapor and air mixture within the container through the discharge nozzle. The vapor is formed by a vaporizable liquid which is placed within the container and only a small quantity is sufficient for many operations. When the movable wall portion is moved in an opposite direction for example, to expand outwardly upon the decending of the water level of the flushing tank air from the outside is drawn in through the nozzle into the interior of the container to mix with the vapor. The movable wall portion may comprise for example, a flexible or elastic member such as rubber, plastic or the like and it may be oriented either at the bottom, top or sides of the container. In some instances it is desirable to employ a spring to urge the movable wall portion to an expanded position which will take place upon the receding of the water level beyond the movable wall portion. in addition, weights or other materials may be employed to cause the descending expansionary movement of the movable wall portion upon the receding of the water level. Similarly the upward movement may be enhanced by floatable portions of the movable wall member.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved device for dispensing a vapor into the atmosphere which includes a container having a wall portion which is adapted to be inserted in a changing level liquid tank and which is movable by the change in the level to periodically cause an expansion and contraction of the volume of the container and to effect the discharge of a vapor within the container during the change in the water level surrounding the container.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device which is adapted to be mounted on a toilet flushing tank which includes a container suspended on a bracket within the tank and having a flexible portion which is disposed below the high water level mark and wherein the container is adapted to be charged with a vaporizable liquid and the movable wall portion moves during the change in level of the tank to dispense the vapor from the container.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device for dispensing a vapor into the atmosphere which is operated by the flushing of a toilet tank and which is simple in design, rugged in construction and economical to manufacture.

For an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference is made to the following description of typical embodiments thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRlPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. it is a front top perspective view partly broken away showing a vapor dispense constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view partly in section of the dispenser shown in FIG. ll;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. ll of another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial elevation and partial sectional view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a section taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is a front elevational view partly broken away of still another embodiment of the invention.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the drawings, in particular, the invention embodied therein in FIGS. ii and 2 comprises a dispensing device generally designated M) for dispensing a vapor or liquid spray into the air upon operation of a toilet flushing tank 112 which causes a change in the level of the flushing liquid 14 therein.

in accordance with the invention the dispenser MD includes a container 16 having a movable wall portion 118 which is moved by the change in level of the liquid 14 to direct a vapor or spray out through a vapor discharge tube 20 upon the change in the level in the level in one direction and to draw in air through an opening 22 of the tube 20 when the water level within the tank changes in an opposite direction.

in the embodiment of FlGS. H and 2 the container i is held by a U-shaped bracket 24 which has a flat top surface 24a which overlies a spacer or gasket 26 which has a central opening for the passage of the discharge tube 20 and which supports the cover 28 of the toilet tank l2 above the outer end of the tube 2b. The con tainer 116 is secured to the bracket 24 by the threading of a cover 30 thereon.

The movable wall member 118 advantageously comprises an elastic member or balloon which is secured by a band 32 to the container 16. A vaporizable liquid 34 is placed into the container and it floats on the movable wall portion 18 which in this embodiment is shown as being weighted down by small beads 36. in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 the dropping of the level below the bottom of the movable wall 18 causes the expansion of this wall and the drawing in of air in the direction of the arrow 38 during the flushing of the tank 12. During the refilling of the tank the water level rises above the bottom of the movable member l8 and causes it to float upwardly with the water and move in the upper tank filled position to the dotted line position shown in FIG. 2 at 40. This upward movement of the movable wall portion 18 causes a contraction of the volume within the container H6 and the expulsion of a vapor and air mixture formed above the vaporizable liquid 34 through the discharge tube 20 for discharge in the atmosphere in the direction opposite to the arrow 3%.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 similar parts are similar designated but with the addition of a prime. In this embodiment no weights are added to the movable wall portion E8 and the vaporizable liquid 34' is of a weight which is sufficient to extend the movable wall portion 18' to the fully expanded position. in this embodiment the bracket 24' is secured to the top of the cover 30' of the container H6. The discharge tube 26B is of a rigid material so that it may extend over the top of the bracket and support the cover of the toilet tank. A discharge tube extension 452 is formed at the top of the cover 30 which connects to the discharge tube 20'.

As shown in FIGS. and 6, the vapor dispensing device 44 includes a container 46 having a movable or displaceable wall portion 48. The movable wall portion 48 is in the form of a diaphragm or flexible member which is secured in an annular marginal area 48a, for example such as by heat sealing to the wall of a plastic wall container 46. The rising of the water in the water level between the low and high marks indicated causes the inward movement of the movable wall portion 48, for example against the force of a returning spring 50. The returning spring 50 may be provided to return the movable wall portion 48 to its outwardly extended position when the water recedes to the low water mark below the movable wall member 48. Any means similar to the spring 50 may be employed for biasing the movable wall portion 48 outwardly including the weight of the vaporizable liquid 52 which may be filled to a level at which it will fill the interior space within the movable member 48. A bracket 54 which holds the container 46 onto the walls of a flushing tank 56 is similar to the bracket desired in the previous embodiment and it is provided with an opening for the passage of the vapor discharge tube $8.

in the embodiment of FIG. 7 a container 60 is shown which has a movable wall portion 62 which is disposed at its top end and which is suspended on an annular bead or holder 64 from a bracket 66 which is engaged over the top edge of the tank 68. in this embodiment the change in the water level from the low mark up to the high mark is used to float the container 60 up toward to the collapsing movable wall member 62 to cause expulsion of the vapor formed above the vaporizable liquid 70 through a vapor discharge tube 72. This same arrangement may be used in a slightly different fashion by securing the lower end of the discharge tube "72 to a top Wall 60a of the container and mounting the movable wall 62 so that it may collapse by a sliding downwardly of the lower half of the annular portion 64 along the tube 72 during the outflow of the water from the flushing tank and the lowering of the level thereof. in such a case the collapsing movement of the movable member 62 will cause the discharge of the vapor from the container through the discharge tube 72. The movable member 62, in such an arrangement, would then be extended upwardly during the rising of the water by the floating action thereof which may be produced by the material itself or by additional material added thereto.

The invention thus provides a device for the dispensing of a vapor or even a liquid spray from a container due to the action of the change in level of the flushing liquid in a flushing tank of a toilet. in its simple form, the movable wall portion comprises a bladder or elastic member which is moved by the change in the level of the water either to contract the area within the container and cause a discharge of the vapor or to expand the area and bring in fresh air for mixture with vapor which is formed above a layer of vaporizable liquid contained in the container. in the simplest form the movable wall portion comprises an elastic portion of the container which is of a constituency such that it may be displaced by the change of the level of the water surrounding it to thus either increase or decrease the volume of the container and to cause the vapor dispensing action.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.

What is claimed is:

H. A device for adding a vapor to the air in the vicinity of a flushing toilet having a flushing water tank which is emptied to flush away the waste and to cause a lowering of the water level in the tank which is subsequently replaced to a predetermined high water level, comprising a container for a vaporizable liquid having a vapor discharge, means mounting said container in a position in which at least a portion thereof is located below the high water level of the tank, said container having a movable wall portion with at least a portion thereof lying below the high water level of the'tank, said movable wall portion being displaceable by the change of water level to reduce the volume of the container and to expel the vapor from within said container through said discharge and being displaceable by the subsequent change of the water level in an opposite direction to increase the volume within the container and to draw air inwardly through said discharge into said container for mixing with said vapor.

2. A device according to claim ll, wherein said movable wall portion comprises an elastic bladder.

3. A device according to claim 2, wherein the bladder carries at least a portion of the vaporizable liquid which acts against the bladder to aid in expanding it outwardly when the water level is lowered beyond the bottom of said bladder, said bladder being arranged to close the lower end of said container.

4. A device according to claim 3, including additional weights carried in said container acting against said bladder for aiding it in moving it in an expanded direction when the water level is lowered.

5. A device according to claim 1, wherein said movable wall member comprises an elastic bag located at the top of said container.

6. A device according to claim 1, wherein said movable wall member comprises an elastic bag located adjacent the bottom of said container.

7. A device according to claim ll, wherein said movable wall member comprises an elastic bag located on a side of said container.

8. A device according to claim 7, including means biasing said elastic bag to an expanded position.

9. A device according to claim ll, wherein said container includes a threaded neck portion, a bracket having a U-shaped portion engaged over the top edge of the flushing water tank and having a horizontally extending portion engaged over the neck of said container and a container cover threaded onto said neck portion overlaying said bracket and holding said container to said bracket.

10. A device according to claim 9, wherein said vapor discharge tube extends through said cover, said bracket having a portion overlaying the top edge of the water tank, said discharge comprising a tube extending through said cover and through the portion of the bracket overlaying the top edge of the water tank.

11. A device according to claim. 1, wherein said discharge comprises a tube extending upwardly from said cover and over the top edge of said water tank.

12. A device for use in adding a vapor or liquid spray to the air in the vicinity of a flushing toilet having a flushing water tank which is emptied to flush away waste and to cause a lowering of the water level to a low water position in the tank and which is subse quently replenished to a predetermined high water level position, comprising a container having an elastic membrane closing the lower end thereof, a bracket engaged with said container and adapted to extend over the top edge of the water tank and holding said container in a position in which the .elastic membrane extends into the water below the high water level, said container having a vaporizable liquid therein floating on said membrane and permitting collapsable movement of said membrane up to a retracted inwardly inverted position floating on the water of the tank in the high water level position, said flexible membrane being expandable downwardly when the water level in the tank recedes below it to expand the area within said container, said container having a discharge for vapor which is discharged when the water level rises in said tank to float the elastic membrane upwardly within the container and to draw in air through said discharge when the water level in the tank falls and the elastic membrane moves downwardly and] expands below the bottom of said container.

13. A device according to claim 12, including weight means in said container acting on said elastic membrane in addition to the liquid therein.

=l 3 l =3 =l= 

1. A device for adding a vapor to the air in the vicinity of a flushing toilet having a flushing water tank which is emptied to flush away the waste and to cause a lowering of the water level in the tank which is subsequently replaced to a predetermined high water level, comprising a container for a vaporizable liquid having a vapor discharge, means mounting said container in a position in which at least a portion thereof is located below the high water level of the tank, said container having a movable wall portion with at least a portion thereof lying below the high water level of the tank, said movable wall portion being displaceable by the change of water level to reduce the volume of the Container and to expel the vapor from within said container through said discharge and being displaceable by the subsequent change of the water level in an opposite direction to increase the volume within the container and to draw air inwardly through said discharge into said container for mixing with said vapor.
 2. A device according to claim 1, wherein said movable wall portion comprises an elastic bladder.
 3. A device according to claim 2, wherein the bladder carries at least a portion of the vaporizable liquid which acts against the bladder to aid in expanding it outwardly when the water level is lowered beyond the bottom of said bladder, said bladder being arranged to close the lower end of said container.
 4. A device according to claim 3, including additional weights carried in said container acting against said bladder for aiding it in moving it in an expanded direction when the water level is lowered.
 5. A device according to claim 1, wherein said movable wall member comprises an elastic bag located at the top of said container.
 6. A device according to claim 1, wherein said movable wall member comprises an elastic bag located adjacent the bottom of said container.
 7. A device according to claim 1, wherein said movable wall member comprises an elastic bag located on a side of said container.
 8. A device according to claim 7, including means biasing said elastic bag to an expanded position.
 9. A device according to claim 1, wherein said container includes a threaded neck portion, a bracket having a U-shaped portion engaged over the top edge of the flushing water tank and having a horizontally extending portion engaged over the neck of said container and a container cover threaded onto said neck portion overlaying said bracket and holding said container to said bracket.
 10. A device according to claim 9, wherein said vapor discharge tube extends through said cover, said bracket having a portion overlaying the top edge of the water tank, said discharge comprising a tube extending through said cover and through the portion of the bracket overlaying the top edge of the water tank.
 11. A device according to claim 1, wherein said discharge comprises a tube extending upwardly from said cover and over the top edge of said water tank.
 12. A device for use in adding a vapor or liquid spray to the air in the vicinity of a flushing toilet having a flushing water tank which is emptied to flush away waste and to cause a lowering of the water level to a low water position in the tank and which is subsequently replenished to a predetermined high water level position, comprising a container having an elastic membrane closing the lower end thereof, a bracket engaged with said container and adapted to extend over the top edge of the water tank and holding said container in a position in which the elastic membrane extends into the water below the high water level, said container having a vaporizable liquid therein floating on said membrane and permitting collapsable movement of said membrane up to a retracted inwardly inverted position floating on the water of the tank in the high water level position, said flexible membrane being expandable downwardly when the water level in the tank recedes below it to expand the area within said container, said container having a discharge for vapor which is discharged when the water level rises in said tank to float the elastic membrane upwardly within the container and to draw in air through said discharge when the water level in the tank falls and the elastic membrane moves downwardly and expands below the bottom of said container.
 13. A device according to claim 12, including weight means in said container acting on said elastic membrane in addition to the liquid therein. 